Transcript of "Cybercrimes"

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CYBER CRIMES 1. INTRODUCTION: Today an increasing number of companies are connecting to the Internet to support sales activities or to provide their employees and customers with faster information and services. The virtual world has taken over the real one, E-business and E- commerce, which are the new mantras and electronic transactions and dominate the overall business paradigm. In this rapidly evolving e-world that depends on free flowing information, security is the major problem to be considered. Security on Internet is challenging. Security on an Internet isimportant because information has significant value. Implementing securityinvolves assessing the possible threats to one’s network, servers and information.The goal is then to attempt to minimize the threat as much as possible. This developing world of information technology has a negative side effect. It has opened the door to antisocial and criminal behavior. 1.1 The Computer Dependent Age: The modern world relies on computerized system for almost every thing in the life, from air, train and bus traffic control to medical services. Systems on co paradise human lives. The society depends on computer system, therefore has profound human dimension too. The rapid expansion of large-scale computer networks and the ability to access systems through regular telephone lines increase the vulnerability to these systems. And it also increases the opportunity for misuse or criminal activity. Security is needed for both external and internal threats.

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1.2 History of computer crimes: It is difficult to determine when the first crime involving acomputer actually took place. The computer has been around in some formsince the abacus, which is known to exist in 3500BC in Japan, China, andIndia. In 1801, profit motives encouraged Joseph Jacquard, a textilemanufacturer in France, to design the forerunner of the computer card. Thisdevice allowed the repetition of services of stamps in the weaving of specialfabrics. However Jacquard’s employees were committed to discourage furtheruse of new technology.1.3 Definition of computer crimes: Experts debated on what exactly constitutes computer crime or acomputer related crime. Even after several years there is no internationallyrecognized definition of these terms. A global definition of computer crime hasnot been achieved. Computer crime has been defined as “any illegal unethicalor unauthorized behavior involving automatic processing or transmission ofdata”. Threats come in two categories: 1. Passive threats. 2. Active threats.Passive threats: This involves monitoring the transmission data of an organization. Here the goal of the assembler if to obtain information that is being transmitted. Passive threats are difficult to detect because they do not involve alterations of data. These are of two types: a. Release of message content. b. traffic analysis.

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Active threats: These threats involve some modification of data stream or the creation of a false stream. These are of three types: a. Modification. b. Denial of message service. c. Masquerade.2. TYPES OF CYBER CRIMES: 2.1 Fraud by computer manipulation: Intangible assets represented in data format such as money on deposits or hours of work are the most common targets related to fraud. Modern business is quickly replacing cash with deposits transacted on computer system creating computer fraud. Credit card information as well as personal and financial information on credit card has been frequently targeted by organized criminal crimes. Assets represented in data format often have a considerably higher value than traditionally economic assets resulting in potentially greater economic class. 2.2 Computer Forgery: This happens when data is altered which is stored in documents that are in computerized form. Computers however can also be used as instruments for committing forgery. A new generation of fraudulent alteration or duplication emerged when computerized color laser copies became available. These copies are capable of high-resolution copying, modification of documents that are even creating false documents without

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benefit of original. They produce documents with an equality that isindistinguishable from original documents.Experts can only distinguish this. The widespread of computer networks is the need forpeople with common and shared interest to communicate with each other.Information can easily be represented and manipulated in electronic form.To meet the needs of sharing and communicating information, thecomputers need to be connected which is called data communicationnetwork.2.3 Damage to Data/Programs: This category of criminal activity involves either direct orsearch unauthorized access to computer system by introducing newprograms known as viruses, worms or logic bombs. The unauthorizedmodification suppression or erasure of computer data or functions withthe Internet to hinder normal functioning of the system is clearly acriminal activity and is commonly referred to as computer sabotage.VIRUS: (Vital information resources under seize). Virus is a series of program codes with the ability to attachitself to legitimate programs and propagate itself to other computerprograms. Viruses are file viruses and bootsector viruses.It attacks the fat so that there is no sequence of file content and it destroysthe data content.WORMS: (Write Once Read Many). They are just added to the files and they do notmanipulate. It differs from a virus in that it does not have the ability toreplicate itself.

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LOGIC BOMB: As it involves the programming the destruction ormodification of data is at a specific time in the future.2.4 Unauthorized access: The desire to gain unauthorized access to computer systemcan be prompted by several motives: 1. From simple curiosity. 2. To computer sabotage. International unjustified access by a person not authorizedby the owners or operators of a system may often constitute criminalbehavior. Unauthorized access creates the opportunity to causeadditional unintended damage to data and system crashes. Accessing isoften accomplished from a remote location along a telecommunicationnetwork by one of several means. The intruder may be able to takeadvantage of security measures to gain access or may find loopholes inexisting security measures or system procedures. Frequently hackersimpersonate legitimate users. This is especially common in systems.3. PRECAUTIONS TO PREVENT COMPUTER HACKING: Nobody’s data is completely safe. But everybody’scomputers can still be protected against would-be hackers. Here is yourdefense arsenal.3.1 Firewalls: These are the gatekeepers to a network from the outside.Firewall should be installed at every point where the computer system

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comes in contact with other networks, including the Internet a separatelocal area network at customer’s site or telephone company switch.3.2 Password protection: At minimum, each item they logon, all PC users shouldbe required to type-in password that only they and network administratorknow. PC users should avoid picking words, phrases or numbers thatanyone can guess easily, such as birth dates, a child’s name or initials.Instead they should use cryptic phrases or numbers that combineuppercase and lowercase. Letters such as the “The Moon Also Rises”. In addition thesystem should require all users to change passwords every month or soand should lockout prospective users if they fail to enter the correctpassword three times in a row.3.3 Viruses: Viruses generally infect local area networks throughworkstations. So anti-virus software that works only on the server isn’tenough to prevent infection. You cannot get a virus or any system-damaging softwareby reading e-mail. Viruses and other system-destroying bugs can onlyexist in files, and e-mail is not a system file. Viruses cannot exist there.Viruses are almost always specific of the operating system involved.Meaning, viruses created to infect DOS application can do no damage toMAC systems, and vice versa. The only exception to this is the MicrosoftWord “macro virus” which infects documents instead of the program.3.4 Encryption: Even if intruders manage to break through a firewall, thedata on a network can be made safe if it is encrypted. Many software

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packages and network programs – Microsoft Windows NT, NovelNetWare, and lotus notes among others- offer and – on encryptionschemes that encode all the data sent on the network. In addition,companies can buy stand alone encryption packages to work withindividual applications. Almost every encryption package is based on anapproach known as public-private key. Scrambled data is encoded using a secret key unique tothat transmission. Receiver’s use a combination of the sender’s publickey and their own private encryption key to unlock the secret code forthat message decipher it.3.5 Audit Trails: Almost all firewalls, encryption programs, and passwordschemes include an auditing function that records activities on thenetwork. This log which, ironically is turned off by many networkadministrators who doesn’t appreciate its importance is an excellent wayof recording what occurred during an attack by hackers.4. HOW TO AVOID GETTING HACKED: Get licensed anti-virus software and one must update themregularly. Most good anti-virus software offers on-line updating. There are some teams of people who have been formed toassist in solving hacker attacks and to disseminate information onsecurity attacks. Two such teams are: 1. CERT (Computer Emergency Response Team). 2. FIRST (Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams). Here are some points by which one can reduce the dangerof getting hacked:

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a. Do not accept files from unknown sources if the files are sent as an attachment or sent to you while your are chatting. b. Do not download any executable files from unknown sources. c. Do not simply accept files even if it is from known sources. This is due to the fact that the latest virus could send itself as an attachment from an infected computer. It would be from your known sources. d. Constantly change your password. Use alphanumeric and special characters whenever possible. Never use your name, birth dates or words that are easily traced.5. HACKING TECHNIQUES:5.1 Callback units: Callback units are a good security device, but with mostphone systems, it is quite possible for the hacker to use the followingsteps to get around a callback unit that uses the same phone line for bothincoming and outgoing calls: First, he calls the callback unit and entersany authorized ID code. After he enters this ID, the hacker holds thephone line open; he does not hand up. When the callback unit picks upthe phone to call the user back, the hacker is there, waiting to meet it. The ID code is simple for a hacker to obtain, becausethese codes are not meant to be security precautions. The callback unititself provides security by keeping incoming calls from reaching thecomputer. The ID codes are no more private than most telephonenumbers. Some callback units refer to the codes as “locationidentification numbers” and some locations are used by several differentpeople, so their Ids are fairly well known. In some cases, callback unitsalso have certain simple codes that are always defined by default. Oncethe hacker has entered an Id code and the callback unit has picked up thephone to re-call him. The hacker may or may not decide to provide a dialtone to allow to “thinking” if it is calling the correct number.

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5.2 Trapdoors as a possibility: A trapdoor is a set of special instructions embedded inthe large program that is the operating system of a computer. Apermanent, hopefully secret “doorway “, these special instruments enableanyone who knows about them to bypass normal security procedures andto gain access to the compote’s files. Although they may sound sinister,hackers did not invent trapdoors, although existing ones are certainlyused by hackers who find out them.5.3 The Decoy: One of the more sophisticated hacking tools is known asthe decoy. It requires that hacker an account on the system. The hackerwith a low-security account tries this method to get higher-securityaccount. He will first use his low-security account to write a program thatwill emulate the log-on procedures of the systems. 1. Clear the terminal screen and place text on it that makes every thing look as if the system is in charge. 2. Prompt for, and allow the user to enter both an account name and a password. 3. Save that information in a place the hacker can access. 4. Tell the user the account/password entries are not acceptable. 5. Turn control of the terminal back over to the system.5.4 Intercept: Holding the line will only work with callback units thatuse the same phone lines to call in and to call out. Some callback unitsuse different incoming and outgoing lines, numbers 555-4820 through555-3830 are dedicated to users incoming calls and lines 555-2020through 555-2030 are dedicated to the computers outgoing calls. The onlything a hacker needs in order to get through to these systems is acomputer and a little time- he does not even need an ID code.

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First, the hacker calls any one of the outgoing phone lines,which of course, will not answer, sooner, or later, though, while thehacker has his computer waiting there, listening to the ring, an authorizeduser will call one of the incoming lines and request to be called back. Itwill usually be less than an hours wait, but the hacker’s computer isperfectly capable of waiting for days, if need be.5.5 Call Forwarding: Many people use call forwarding by special arrangementwith the Phone Company. When a customer requests for a callforwarding, the Phone Company uses its computer to forward allcustomers incoming calls to another number. Let us say for example, thatyou want calls that come to your office phone to be forwarded to yourphone. A call from you to the Phone Company, some special setting inthe phone company computer, and all calls to your home instead. Thislittle bit of help from Phone Company is another tool used by hacker.5.6 Rapid fire: Memory location manipulation can be helpful, but there isanother more powerful possibility in some case, the Rapid-fire method.To understand how this method works, you have to know somethingabout the way operating system works. When a user enters a command,the operating system first places the command in a holding area, thebuffer, where it will sit for a few millionths of a second. The systemlooks at the command and says “Does this person really haveauthorization to do this, or not?” Then the command sits there a fewmillionths of a second while the system runs off to check the user’sauthentication, when the system comes back to the command it will haveone of the two possible answers: “ok, go ahead” or “sorry, get permissionfirst”. Once you are on a system that handles things like this, youcan use the rapid-fire method to change the command while it is sitting inthe buffer, waiting to be executed. If you can do this, you can doanything. You can enter a command that you know will be approved,

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such as “tell me the time”. As soon as the system runs off to verify yourright to know the time, you can change the command in the buffer tosomething you know would not be approved, “give me the list of all thepasswords”, when the system comes back with the “ok, go ahead”, itresponds to the second command, not the first one. Of course, thisexchange has to be done very rapidly, but more systems existing todaycan be fooled by this trick.6. CONCLUSION: The issue of network and Internet security has becomeincreasingly more important as more and more business and people goon-line. To avoid the information from hackers we use thepasswords secretly and we change the passwords regularly. We cannotuse our names, initials as passwords that are easily traced. We should notdownload any executable files from unknown sources, information fromany sources without checking for virus. We have to use licensed anti-virus software. Also teams like CERT and FIRST assist in solving hackerattacks and to disseminate information on security.7. BIBLIOGRAPHY: Computers Today. Web Commerce Technology.